Next month's debate

[NeilTappin]

Morning all,

I am just putting together the debate page for the January issue of GM. The R&A are planning to lengthen the Road Hole to 490 yards for the Open Championship. Do you think this is a good or bad idea? What affect do you think it will have on the tournament?

The plan will be to print the responses of a select few so please let me know what you think.

Thanks,

 

[AuburnWarrior]

It was a potential card wrecker as it was - many a top pro found a good round undone here so I'm not too sure it needed changing.

 

[USER1999]

Not a good idea.

This hole is iconic, and as such should be left alone. Would the Americans add another 30 yards to the 17th at Sawgrass?

Continually lengthening golf courses is not a good idea, it just plays into the hands of the big hitters. I would prefer the introduction of narrower fairways and more penal rough.

One of the fun things in golf is to use the same equipment as the Pro's, and play the same courses. You are not playing the same course if their tees are 50 yards behind yours.

 

[dangermouse]

All the majors seem to operate on the premise that longer equals harder. With the likes of Quiros etc smashing it into he next county, there is some truth in that, but the performance of Tom Watson against the field last year goes to show that the Open favours the players who play straighter, and have more imagination with those tricky chips/punches etc from around the green, rather than the standard driver then short iron/wedge with backspin from just about anywhere in all other tournaments.

If the tournament committee want to make the road hole harder, make the risk/reward for hitting it long a bigger trade off. Narrow the fairway, grow the rough, or stick a new bunker at the "average" driver landing area - make players consider going with 2 iron off the tee or something.

Extra length doesnt change how top players play a hole -they just attack the green with a 6 instead of 7 iron etc. Make them consider laying up, or playing the hole a different way if you want to challenge them.

 

[Tommo21]

Just change the ball and the courses will not need to be touched.

What’s happening now is all the courses that cant be lengthened are now considered no use. Yet if the ball was limited in distance all this could be sorted in one hit. It makes you wonder what Hogan could have done with the modern ball and equipment. That aside, St Andrews, you can't touch that.

 

[Toad]

I think it will become a bit of a joke hole if they lengthen it.
Pro's will be going in with longer irons and will struggle to keep it on the green, as said before narrowing the fairways and adding bunkers should be enough to stop them booming driver as accuracy will be the key.
I think also that the change in groves for the pro's next year would make it near impossible to keep it on the green if they miss the fairway.

 

[bogside84]

I have only played The Old Course once and would not break a leg to play it again. That said the 17th is up there with the best holes in the world of golf. I would have thought if the hole needed altered a couple of bunkers would have been a better option than adding length.

 

[birdieman]

Good idea, it will make the hole play as it used to before technology rendered it too easy.
The 18th is so easy that they need a make or break hole near the end of the Old Course and 17 lengthened will provide the stern test it was always meant to be.

ps I took 8 the one and only time I played it .

 

[Tommo21]

I topped the drive about 40 yds then sclaffed a rescue into the grounds of the hotel .

And you want it harder

 

[CVG]

I'm confused.......my bother to change a classic golf hole? It's an iconic and difficult hole already, all golfers know it, all pros hold great respect for it, so why bother to change it?

What do they gain?

 

[slugger]

I read that they're also going to widen the fairway to compensate and give the big hitters more room for error... if so, what's the point? And to lengthen it, they're taking the tee onto the practice area outside the course, so the new part of the course won't be part of the course at all!

An iconic hole and one that's already tough. Why not leave it alone.

If they want to make St Andrews more challenging, they should make the greens smaller... Is that controversial?

 

[drawboy]

American golfers come to play the open because they have a sense of history and a love of the game and it's roots. In my opinion there are some things that should not be messed with. The road hole is one of these things. To mess with one of the most famous holes in golf is in my humble opinion sacrilege.

 

[Golfmmad]

I read that in order to make the hole as was first intended, something needs to be changed. With todays modern technology enabling longer driving,better quality balls etc. it is considered less of a challenge today than when the course was originally designed.
Surely there will be more subtle changes than just merely lengthening it, and if so will be worth implementing in my opinion.

Golfmmad.

 

[stevek1969]

I think they should leave it alone ,i never saw any of the pro's at the Dunhill rip it apart,maybe grow the rough up the left hand side a bit more and deepen the bunker back to what it was apart from that leave it alone its iconic.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

If they want to make the hole tougher, grow the rough to the left where most pros bail out to knowing its still a medium iron in. A new bunker on the left would make it a better driving hole and may force players to change their club off the tee and leave a potentially longer and harder shot in. I don't see length as a weapon and would prefer longer rough and a pot bunker or two

 

[Tiger]

I understand where the R&A are coming from. On the last day you want some excitement and making the 17th tougher would help to achieve this excitement. However, I agree with earlier posts: add a bunker or two, narrow the fairway, shrink the greens but lengthening won't have the desired effect. The key will be forcing players to make a tough decision on club selection off the tee not just reaching for the big dog!

 

[Dodger]

Dreadful move.Bring the fairway in tighter,build up the rough and put a premium on finding the short stuff which will give you the reward and enable you to hit the short iron to the green once you have found it....no one ever seems to think on tightening fairways up just set a premium on length in modern golf.Make finding the fairway the prize for christ sake,after all, the groove change is being brought in to try and curb the gougers hitting it into the crap and STILL managing to find the pin let alone the green so why not take that the whole hog and set finding the fairway a must....it is after all the only fairway on the course that stands alone!!

 

[madandra]

Making holes longer gives the advantage to those you are rying to deter i.e. the big hitters. Perhaps making it more testing by other means of thicker rough, deeper bunkers and perhaps even a new bunker.

Leave the lenghth as it is and as it always should be.

 

[DMC]

There are so many pro's who have struggled at the road hole as it is,do we really want to see players running up triple bogies and worse? The fans pay to see the best in the world hit birdies,all this is doing is playing into the big hitters hands.

 

[vig]

I agree with most that has already been posted.

The ideal would be to change the ball specs but I can't see that happening soon.

narrow the landing area and make it more penal for the exreme length players if they don't hit the short stuff.

The pro's tend to get pampered when they have complained in the past. Surely the aim of the game is to play on fairways and greens. If they don't make them then there should be some sort of penalty. Why should they still have an opportunity to attack the hole if they miss the fairway.